Travel with the Met: Yaroslavl

Yaroslavl. Photograph by Vanessa Hagerbaumer

« Here the Volga River meets the Kotorosl River as seen from the bluffs of Yaroslavl, a picturesque city with a population of 640,000. Decorative plantings in the shape of a bear, the city's emblem, commemorate the 1,003rd anniversary of Yaroslav.» Lore of the city's founding says that when Prince Yaroslav the Wise and his fleet of Christians sailed into the area in the early eleventh century, the locals set loose a bear to chase them away. Yaroslav heroically killed the bear and founded the town on the spot.

Food market in Yaroslavl. Photograph by Vanessa Hagerbaumer

After we viewed the incredibly vivid seventeenth-century frescoes in the Church of St. Elijah the Prophet, a sudden summer downpour found us seeking shelter in a colorful food market. According to our local guide, much of the produce comes from the southwestern Russian provinces where many northerners have summer cottages, or dachas.

About Travel with the Met

The Travel with the Met program invites art lovers to gain new insights and fresh perspectives on art and culture. Itineraries are offered year-round to more than two dozen exciting destinations. Learn more about Travel with the Met.